The fear of contracting whooping cough drove hundreds of people to get vaccine shots last Thursday.

Nearly 200 parents, students and district employees received the whooping cough vaccine at Lincoln High School.

"I feel like I'm not going to get it, and I'm safe," said Lincoln High School senior Shawna Lewis.

Last week, the Polk County Health Department had reported 18 cases of whooping cough.

Health officials said the cases involve students who attend three south side schools, including Lincoln High, Lincoln South and Weeks Middle.

"Yeah, a girl in one of our classes had to be (quarantined) for a while, for the rest of the class period. (She) couldn't get out," Lewis said.

Lewis' father, David Lewis, said he isn't taking any chances.

"(I) brought her up to get a shot, so she'll be safe and not get it, hopefully," David Lewis said.

"Each person who comes in and gets vaccinated increases their own protection, which increases our collective protection against further spread of the disease," said Rick Kozin, of the Polk County Health Department. "Because pertussis is a bacteria, we don't build up any immunity by being exposed to (it), the way we do with influenza. The way we get immunity to pertussis is by being vaccinated."

The clinic, which was a Polk County Health Department initiative, was designed to contain and hopefully eliminate the illness, medical professionals said.

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